How To Protect Goalkeepers From Blocks At Corners: Liverpool, Arsenal, & Brentford Defensive Tactics Explained – Set-Piece Analysis

Recently, set-pieces have become a crucial aspect of the game at any level of football, so many innovative tricks have been implemented.

One of the most crucial steps in new-style corners is blocking goalkeepers to prevent them from claiming the ball, especially when the targeted area is inside the six-yard box.

Hence, every analyst, coach, or even football fanatic has been researching the details of the methods of efficiently blocking goalkeepers.

In that analysis, we have explained the different tactics of blocking to make blocking goalkeepers (and zonal defenders) efficient without committing fouls.

However, not much interest was put on the reverse, which is how defending teams can protect goalkeepers from blocks.

Definitely, the individual abilities of the goalkeeper matter a lot in this case.

Still, various techniques can also help the goalkeeper, as can tactics related to the defensive scheme itself, which we will show in this set-piece analysis.

In this tactical analysis, we will examine the various blocking techniques and tactics that can help goalkeepers avoid being blocked, claim the ball, or win a foul against the blocker.

Proactive Goakeepers Without Using A Man To Help

Lets begin with the techniques that goalkeepers themselves do (or are asked to do) without the need for a man marker to mark or push the attacker near the goalkeeper (the blocker) to protect him from disturbing the goalkeeper while trying to claim the ball.

This method has many advantages, like not losing a man marker (or a defender in the second line) and making the block more straightforward for the referee if the attacker exaggerates and commits a foul.

If there is a man marker, it will appear as an equal fight between him and the blocker beside the goalkeeper.

This method is difficult because it requires a proactive, brave, and excellent goalkeeper who is skilled at not only claiming the ball but also pushing the blocker away to create the space he needs to jump.

As shown below, Liverpools defending scheme leaves Alisson Becker to deal with the blocker without asking a man marker to come to help.

He tries to keep his body separated from the blocker, using his arm to prevent the player from being close to him, which annoyingly bothers him while he tries to jump.

The second important tip appears in the next frame.

When the taker starts to move, he doesnt depend just on this separation but proactively looks for the expected coming blocker to push him with his arm and then starts to jump, as shown below.